Not even Victor Wembanyama could avoid the incoming force of Grand Theft Auto 6‘s impending release. According to Jason Schreier at Bloomberg, NBA 2K27 didn’t quite hit the internal goals set by Take-Two.
Of course, this isn’t all bad news, and the perspective of these sales targets is important to factor in as well.
NBA 2K27 Missed Targets, But Still Ultimately Did Well
In Bloomberg’s story, Take-Two’s CEO Strauss Zelnick told the publication that NBA 2K27 has sold around four million units so far. That’s still enough to make it the second best-selling game in the franchise ever, which is definitely not bad news.
Take-Two’s latest earnings report, released today, also mentions that NBA 2K in general has now sold over 175 million units combined globally, which places it in the Top 20 best-selling “interactive entertainment franchises” ever. Despite GTA 6 reportedly cannibalizing NBA 2K27 sales to an extent, it seems the series is still in good standing overall.
Regarding the goals for NBA 2K27 that were apparently missed, Zelnick doesn’t seem too stressed. He told Bloomberg, “If your lunch is going to be eaten, I’d rather be the one eating it.” Bloomberg mentions that competing sports titles in 2026 haven’t sold as well as NBA 2K27, even with its missed goals, so there doesn’t seem to be cause for alarm.
Zelnick believes that GTA 6’s upcoming release may have deterred potential NBA 2K27 purchasers from picking up a copy, since it’s possible they ultimately decided to spend their cash on GTA 6 instead (or on many of the other games recently released in a crowded Fall 2026).
While the exact sales target for NBA 2K27 beyond four million units wasn’t shared, Take-Two’s net bookings for the quarter totaled $1.6 billion, which is about $50 million below what Wall Street had predicted. Of course, with GTA 6 releasing soon on November 19th, Take Two’s revenue is surely about to skyrocket.
We’ll have to wait and see how Q3 goals end up comparing to reality once GTA 6 is out in the wild, but since presales are “far in excess” of expectations, it’ll likely be good news for Take-Two and their shareholders and fans alike as the fiscal year continues.
Did the incoming release of GTA 6 prevent you from buying any games this year that you normally would’ve? Let us know in the Insider Gaming Discord server.
Want to know what we might be able to expect from GTA 6 sales? Its predecessor, GTA 5, has now sold nearly 235 million units. For more gaming news delivered directly to you, sign up for the Insider Gaming weekly newsletter.
Ethan Krieger got started as a sports journalist covering the NBA, but video games have always been his main passion. Since then, he's edited and written for multiple gaming outlets,…
More from Ethan Krieger
Comments